If the ruling made Monday by a federal judge in Philadelphia holds up on
appeal, the restrictions on NCAA freshman eligibility standards will be drastically altered.

According to wire reports, U.S. District Judge Ronald L. Buckwalter said the current
Proposition 48 and Proposition 16 NCAA bylaws violate civil rights laws because of their
unjustified impact on black students.

Currently, athletes who do not meet a minimum standardized test score and high school
grade-point average are prohibited from receiving an athletic scholarship and from playing or
practicing during their freshman year.

A recent rules revision held that players who receive a high enough GPA without the
standardized test score would be allowed to receive a scholarship and to practice, but not
compete in games.

Depending on how long the appeals process takes, University of Massachusetts Minutemen
senior center Lari Ketner could be granted another year of eligibility.

Ketner has indicated, however, that even if the rule were changed, he would not return to
school.

But the change could benefit sophomore center Kitwana Rhymer and junior guard Monty
Mack, both of whom sat out their freshman seasons due to the NCAA rules. Mack already had
the opportunity to regain his lost year if he earned enough credits to graduate in four years, but
the rule change could guarantee him the extra year without requiring that a specific number of
credits be fulfilled.

Several Minutemen in the 1990s have been affected by the rules, including Tyrone Weeks,
Kennard Robinson and Donta Bright.

The NCAA has asked that Buckwalter issue a stay of his ruling until it appeals to the 3rd U.S.
District Court of Appeals.

The ruling was made as a result of a lawsuit made on behalf of two Philadelphia High School
seniors, who finished in the top 10 percent of their class, but didn't achieve the
NCAA-mandated minimum test scores.

With the Spring National Letter-of-Intent approaching next month, the late recruiting landscape
could change drastically, as schools that don't accept Prop. 48 players could get involved with a
whole new pool of players.